Tiberi, Brooks, Irvine square off in 12th Congressional race

Wednesday

U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi will face two challengers for his 12th Congressional District seat in the Nov. 2 general election.

U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi will face two challengers for his 12th Congressional District seat in the Nov. 2 general election.

Democrat Paula Brooks, who currently serves on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, and Libertarian Travis Irvine, a filmmaker, will attempt to unseat the incumbent.

Brooks, 57, an Upper Arlington resident who lives outside of the district, said she is running for Congress to help stabilize the economy.

"Our country is at a crossroads," she said. "We need to make tough choices to get our economy back on track. In Franklin County, we have turned a looming $55-million deficit into $183-million in savings. I will bring this common sense approach to Washington. I am calling for a 5-percent pay cut for members of Congress until the budget is balanced."

Brooks, who is married with two adult children, has her bachelor's degree from Youngtown State University and her law degree from Capital University Law School.

If elected, she said, her top priorities would be to cut congressional pay until the budget is balanced, create jobs and invest in green energy jobs that cannot be outsourced to other countries.

"We need to foster an environment where small businesses can create jobs," Brooks said. "This means making credit available to local entrepreneurs who are trying to grow and looking at targeted tax cuts that will allow small business owners to expand and create sustainable jobs for central Ohio."

Tiberi, 47, of Genoa Township, was elected to Congress in 2000. Prior to that, he had served in the Ohio House of Representatives, rising to the rank of majority leader.

He is a Northland High School graduate and attended The Ohio State University, where he earned his degree in journalism.

Tiberi said he is running for re-election to provide for future generations.

"I believe America's best days are ahead, but I believe hard work and difficult decisions are needed to secure a prosperous future," Tiberi said. "We need to prevent our children from having to carry the burden of mountains of debt and soaring deficits. I have lived my entire life in the 12th Congressional District and I am committed to helping ensure that our children inherit a country brimming with opportunity and whose future is bright."

Tiberi, who is married with four daughters, said if he were re-elected, his top priority would be job creation.

"Congress needs to cultivate a stable business environment, where entrepreneurs are free from the uncertainty of today's abysmal tax and regulatory climate, thereby creating and expanding businesses, hiring more workers and setting a new course for a prosperous nation that puts us on track for long-term economic growth and permanent job creation," he said.

Tiberi also said he would focus on budgeting properly and would support the military to keep America safe.

Irvine, 27, of Bexley, said he is running to challenge the two-party system.

"The two-party system as an inefficient model for our modern democracy, as there is no third voice in Washington to keep the two big parties in check when they are both wrong," Irvine said. "(I want to) embody Libertarian principles in our federal government to limit too many inefficient, fiscally irresponsible and unconstitutional top-down policies, and bring the young millennial generation's energy and creativity to the federal lawmaking process."

Irvine, who recently ran for mayor in Bexley, is a graduate of Bexley High School and earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Ohio University. He is a journalist and filmmaker.

If elected, Irvine said his priorities would be to decrease federal spending and end U.S. foreign occupations.

"While Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the nation's woes, both parties have created the $14-trillion debt that my generation will inherit and neither have come up with solutions on how to handle it without raising taxes," he said. "It is time to have a Constitutionally responsible, third-party representative in Congress who will work with both sides when they are right and tell both sides when they are wrong. I will be that congressman."

Early voting in Franklin County runs through Nov. 1. For more information on the election and polling locations, visit the Franklin County Board of Elections website at http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov.

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